Mawlana Hazar Imam was accompanied by Prince Amyn, Princess Zahra, Prince Rahim, Princess Salwa, Prince Hussain and Prince Aly Muhammad.

The event acknowledged historic linkages between the Ismaili Imamat and the British Monarchy; and longstanding connections between the Ismaili Community, the institutions of the Aga Khan Development Network, and the United Kingdom.

The AKDN has built longstanding partnerships with institutions in the UK, including the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the British Council. These partnerships are complemented by support for charitable and educational initiatives of the Ismaili Community in the UK.

Imamat institutions based in the UK include the Aga Khan Foundation (UK), established in 1973; The Institute of Ismaili Studies, established in 1977; and the Aga Khan University-Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, founded in 2002. These institutions will have a permanent home in London at a new purpose-built building to be inaugurated later this year in the ‘Knowledge Quarter’ of King's Cross in central London.  These facilities will welcome students, researchers and partners to a space that includes landscaped grounds and Islamic-inspired gardens.

Mawlana Hazar Imam was bestowed the title ‘His Highness’ by Her Majesty the Queen in 1957 upon his accession as the 49th Imam of the Ismaili Muslim Community.